Category: DIY

It’s FRIDAY!!!!! Hopefully by now everyone is getting settled in for a cozy night at home, or perhaps you have a really fun outing planned. My husband and I have a date night planned, and we’re hoping to hit up a new restaurant in the city. But before I get ready for that I wanted to share a very exciting post with you. Well, at least I’m very excited about it, because I have wanted to try making bath bombs FOREVER!

I know that bath bombs are nothing new and have been around for ages. That still doesn’t change the fact that I’m really excited that I finally made my very own. I followed this recipe, with a few changes, and it turned out really well. They have yet to dry for 24 hours before I get to used them. I’m also curious to see how the orange peel will dry. It probably would’ve been better to use already-dried orange peel, but I didn’t have any. I also didn’t have the patience or the time to dry the orange peel first.

These bath bombs are actually very easy to make. The recipe made about 3 1/2 bath bombs (depending on the size of the mold, it might make 4). They are a perfect way to pamper yourself, and also make excellent home-made gifts. Oh, and the smell of the coconut oil mixed with the orange essential oil is heavenly!

Using a glass or plastic bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the poppy seeds.

In a separate bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave. Add the water, essential oil, and food colouring, until you reach the desired colour (I did about 25 drops of yellow and 12 drops of red). Mix well.

Very slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (about a teaspoon at a time), whisking in a quick motion. You want to prevent the mixture from activating.The mixture should stick together like wet sand if you squeeze it in your hand. If it doesn’t, it might need a little more water. I used a spray bottle filled with water to add a little more moisture from time to time.

Add some orange zest and some poppy seeds to the bottom of the mold.

Use a spoon to fill both halves of the mold.

You want to top them with as much of the mixture as possible.

Firmly press the two halves together, and let it sit for about a minute. Gently tap the mold with a spoon, then gently pull the mold apart. If the halves don’t want to stick together, you might need to fill them slightly more, or you might need to moisten the mixture a little more.

Gently place the finished bath bombs on a plate and allow them to dry for 24 hrs before adding them to your hot bath. And that my friends, is honestly how simple it is to make your own bath bombs. Wait how much do they usually sell for? Either way, you just saved yourself some money! 😉

Orange Poppy Seed Bath Bombs

2017-03-10 16:48:22

Yields 4

These bath bombs are a breeze to make, and are an excellent choice for a home-made gift.

In a bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the poppy seeds.

In a separate bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave. Add the water, essential oil, and food colouring, until you reach the desired colour (I did about 25 drops of yellow and 12 drops of red). Mix well.

Very slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (about a teaspoon at a time), whisking in a quick motion. You want to prevent the mixture from activating.

The mixture should stick together like wet sand if you squeeze it in your hand. If it doesn't, it might need a little more water. I used a spray bottle filled with water to add a little more moisture from time to time.

Add some orange zest and some poppy seeds to the bottom of the mold.

Use a spoon to fill both halves of the mold. You want to top them with as much of the mixture as possible. Then firmly press the two halves together, let it sit for about a minute. Gently tap the mold with a spoon, then gently remove the mold. If the halves don't want to stick together, you might need to fill them slightly more, or you might need to moisten the mixture a little more.

Lay the finished bath bombs on a plate and allow them to dry for 24 hrs before adding them to your hot bath.

I tend to have bazillions of lists of crafts, projects, or recipes that I want to create. Out of those lists some things will be created and finished. Other projects won’t get that lucky. They will become half-finished projects, waiting to receive some love, so that they can come to life! Today’s DIY Rustic Tree Branch Coasters is one of those projects. I told myself this year, that I would push myself to finish some of the projects that have been left hanging for months.

Now that I have basically finished this project, I’m actually really excited to share it with you! Let me also point out that these DIY Rustic Tree Branch Coasters would make a super cute Valentine’s Day gift for your special someone, or any of your friends! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner after all! If you’re not really into V-day, that’s OK too. This would make a cute and inexpensive gift any time of the year! What else do you want!?

Two summers ago, we removed a pine tree from our front yard. It wasn’t a very healthy looking tree, and I felt that its shadow made our home even gloomier than it already was (and trust me, I love my sunshine!). Plus, the needles that it constantly shed had a high level of acidity, preventing anything from growing underneath it. So we decided that it had to go.

Kevin climbed up a ladder and used a chain saw to cut it down. My job was to pull as hard as I could on a rope that had been tied to the tree. Oh, this was done to encourage the tree to fall in my general direction. Obviously we did it in a way so that it wasn’t supposed to fall on me. Or was that actually the plan? Kevin!?

The sad part was that I lost all the little friends that were living in that tree. The bark on the tree was so textured and bumpy, creating shapes that I imagined to look like faces. There was a cat face that was always staring at me while working on my lap top in the living room. Yeah, sometimes I am a little strange, and I’m OK with that.

Speaking of being hit by trees, I do actually have a story of where I was barely spared. I used to work at a day care that was in the same building as the University that I attended. On this particular day we had taken the kiddos outside to play in the playground.

I was standing with my back leaned up against the building (this part of the building was a long narrow hallway, leading to the gym), when suddenly a tree branch came swinging over the roof and landed literally right in front of me! I was SO shocked, but luckily not hurt, since I had been standing right against the building.

The maintenance guys had been cutting off some large branches on the other side of the hallway, when I guess they lost control of where the branch was heading. They immediately came running our way though, to make sure that nobody was hurt.

OK, lets actually get to the point now. When we cut down the tree in our front yard, I had asked Kevin to cut a thick branch into thin discs for me. I knew I wanted to make either these DIY Rustic Tree Branch Coasters, or some kind of ornaments out of them. So I left them to dry in front of our house. They were resting here for a long time, along with some hopefully friendly spiders and their spider webs.

Eventually, when I thought they were dry enough, I took the nicest looking ones inside. Some of them had cracked or the bark was no longer intact. I later talked to a lady who is really good at this kind of wood work, and she said the trick to avoid cracking, is to dry the wood slowly. I would also recommend using a saw that actually cuts the wood smoothly. We just used a chain saw, which left the wood pretty jagged. So, if you want to know how to make these rustic wood coasters, continue reading mate!

DIY Rustic Tree Branch Coasters

You will need:

a thick branch (about 3 inches in diameter, or however large you want your coasters to be)

Instructions:

The pine tree wood was very porous (perhaps because it was cut with a chain saw?), so after sanding it I took some of the saw dust, and smoothed out the little holes with it, hoping that the sealer would hold it in (I avoided blowing away the dust).

Using a pencil, lightly write the words or design of your choice directly on the wood.

When your wood burner is hot, using the instructions, slowly trace the outlined words.

Using the eraser, erase any pencil markings.

Finish off with four coats of the satin wood finish, following the instructions on the can. You could also opt for a glossy or semi-glossy finish, if you prefer more of a shine.

And that’s it! Your DIY Rustic Tree Branch Coasters are ready to be used! I have to admit my project isn’t FULLY done, as I still need to seal my coasters with the wood finish. I’m hoping the finish will seal in the loose saw dust that I filled the holes with. If not, they will still look great, just with a little more texture than I would have prefered. The reason why I didn’t finish, is because I wanted to post this project for you peeps today, and therefore didn’t have the required time to let it dry.

I hope you get creative the next time you find the perfect tree branch. Do you folks have any other tree branch craft ideas? I would love to hear from you! Enjoy your weekend!! 🙂

I remember not liking the taste of papaya as a child, but somewhere down the road I must’ve learned to love it. On one of our recent grocery shopping trips, I bought a papaya. I was excited to eat it, not only cause it’s delicious, but also because it’s healthy. To my great disappointment, when I tried my first bite after all that work cutting it up, I realized that it was oddly bitter. So, for the next while it was sadly sitting in our fridge. I wasn’t eating from it, because I knew it wouldn’t taste good, but I also hate wasting food, so I couldn’t throw it out. Finally, I decided to see if there were any ways to use papaya for skin care. It turns out there are! After researching what other natural products are great for skincare, I came up with a papaya face mask recipe!

As you can imagine, a whole papaya made a great amount of face mask. Definitely way more than I could ever use before it spoils, unless if I want to cover my whole body in it each time!

I saw this great idea online that solved all my problems (all my problems… I wish!). Simply freeze the excess face mask in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, remove the cubes, throw them in a resealable bag, and continue freezing.

When you are ready to use a face mask, simply take one cube out, leave it to thaw, or briefly pop it in the microwave. I find that one cube is enough to last me for two applications. Store the remainder in the refrigerator.

I have used the ice cube method for freezing homemade dog food, and pureed spinach for smoothies, but I hadn’t thought about doing the same with my face mask. Don’t you just love it when you find great hacks!?

Quick tip that I believe I learned from one my great friends: line the ice cube tray with plastic wrap before filling it. This will make for an easy clean up.

And there you have it. An orange papaya face! Isn’t it appealing!? 😉 It does have a good smell going for itself though, I promise! Plus, here and here you will find some of the health benefits that the ingredients in this face mask have to offer.

To use the mask, apply generously directly to your skin, avoiding your eyes and mouth areas. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Yes, you are allowed to lie down, listen to some calming music, and my favorite, light a scented candle. Everyone needs some self care once in a while.

To make the papaya face mask, combine in a blender:

2 cups papaya

1/4 cup oats

3 tbsp. honey, preferably raw

1-2 tbsp. coconut oil

Gel of one Aloe Vera leaf

Here is a you-tube video that shows how to remove the gel from an Aloe Vera leaf in case you haven’t done it before:

Have any of you ever re-purposed food for skin or hair care diys? Please do comment below! Have a great weekend!

I am head over heels with all the colorful trees this time of the year. A lot of leaves seem to have already fallen, but there is one tree that I can’t help but gush over every single time Kevin and I walk passed it, when taking Luna for a walk. The mustard yellow leaves seem so confident, laughing in the face of their fate.

Sigh… fall is always way too short! But perhaps, that’s what makes it so special. As much as I love summer, it is the earthy colors of fall that speak to my soul. So, here’s a nail art tutorial inspired by fall. I hope you enjoy it!

Begin by applying a quick-dry base coat to protect your nails. Then apply one to two coats, as needed, of your favorite beige nail polish. Let each layer dry before adding the next.

Next, apply your fine glitter nail polish at the top of your nails, in the shape of a crescent. When almost dry, add another layer of glitter, but this time in a straight line, and not the sides (this will create a gradient effect). I found this tutorial helpful. You could leave your nails like this, and just finish them off with a top coat, or you can move on to the next step.

Now the messy part begins! Ready for some fun!? GLITTER! GLITTER! GLITTER! And some more GLITTER! Yup, I got it everywhere! Is it even possible not to get it everywhere!?

Apply a thin coat of your top-coat nail polish to the area where you will be applying the glitter. Apply the glitter while the nail polish is still wet.

Dip your dotting tool in the same nail polish, just enough to get it slightly sticky. This will help with picking up the individual pieces of glitter. Place the glitter (I used dark brown and beige glitter) on the wet nail polish. Make the top area of the nail more concentrated with glitter and become lighter towards the middle of the nail. You don’t want to align the glitter perfectly. Some touching pieces, or some layering is totally fine. It’s all part of creating the gradient effect.

Finish off with two coats of your favorite quick-dry top coat. This should seal everything in, and smooth out the surface. Use a flat brush/Q-tip, dipped in nail-polish-remover, to clean up any nail polish that got on your skin. And that’s it!! There you have your fall inspired gradient-glitter-nails!

Begin by applying a quick-dry base coat to protect your nails. Then apply two coats of purple nail polish. Let each layer dry before adding the next.

When the purple layers are completely dry, use two strips of the Nail Art Striping Tape to create two small triangles, like shown in the above picture (you will need one longer, and one shorter piece of tape). Make sure the tape is evenly and tightly pressed against your nails. Trim the tape with a pair of scissors, making sure you leave some extra tape at the end (so you can easily pull it off with your tweezers later).

You can now begin by painting the larger section black, staying within the lines of the tape. Do the same with the gold glitter (you might need many layers of the gold glitter to fill it in well).

As soon as you’re done painting, remove the tape with tweezers.

Once the nail polish is completely dry, finish off with a quick-dry top coat. There you have your beautiful nails, with a splash of gold!

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share this tutorial with your friends!

There is something I enjoy about each season. I love the hopefulness and life that Spring brings with it! With today’s rain here in Winnipeg, there is such a fresh smell in the air (I LOVE IT!). This is usually the time where I begin to feel happy and alive, and when I start to crave changes. The bright colors that have been hiding in the closet have come out, and I decided to cut my hair really short (although, really, I decided to do this a long time ago)!

Continuing with the Spring theme, these DIY Flower Nails have a nice pop of color and are super cute for spring! Plus, they are quite simple to do.

Begin by applying a clear base coat to your nails to keep them from turning yellow. It works as a protective layer.

Apply two coats of the Wave Nail Polish. I found that it works quite well to use the cool setting on my blow-dryer to dry my nails between each coat. It will speed the drying process.

Using the flat brush and nail polish remover, remove any nail polish that got onto your skin. If you do not have a flat brush you may also use a Q-tip.

You will need your dotting tool for the next part (you can also try using the head of a bobby pin). Using the large dotting tool and the Pink Nail Polish, start forming the flower petals, using a circling inward stroke, getting narrower towards the center. Then, using the small dotting tool and the Plum Seduction Nail Polish, apply a smaller dot over the light pink and lightly brush it towards the center. Then apply a large yellow dot in the center, using the Lemon Parfait Nail Polish. Finish off with a quick-dry top coat. Here’s a short video for the visual learners: